Napcatcher: Photographers had to wait 45 minutes to meet the new recruit when he arrived - because he was asleep

Larry the Downing Street cat may have been brought in to catch the rats but he has spent his days curled up asleep, it has been claimed.

The tabby was expected to go chasing after the rodents who have been seen scuttling down the street during television reports - but he's shown no interest in going after them.

Within hours of arriving at No 10 he had courted controversy by taking a swipe at ITV News reporter Lucy Manning when they tried to get him to pose for an item.

And he kept waiting reporters and photographers waiting for 45 when he was unveiled as the new pet because he was asleep.

The cat has also apparently covered the Prime Minister's suits with fur and has dug his claws in when sat on members of staff.

He's got a long way to go until he has the fierce reputation of Harry - Downing Street's first official moggy who arrived when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister.

The animal - who also served under Thatcher and Blair - acquired a fearsome reputation after being falsely accused of killing a family of robins in the garden.He was known to energetically catch the rats.

Despite Larry's failure to deal with the pest problem, Downing Street's newest resident has quickly become popular among the staff.

A source told the Independent on Sunday: 'He has shown no interest in the many mice in Downing Street. There's a distinct lack of a killer instinct.'

Taking over the cabinet: Larry wanders across the table in the Cabinet Room at No 10

Rat catcher: Larry was brought in to get the Downing Street rat which appeared in Lucy Manning's report

The four-year-old cat arrived from Battersea Dogs and Cats home three weeks ago has apparently made several bids for freedom.

His former keepers at the rescue centre have recommended that he is not let out for at least three weeks until he becomes fully acclimatised to his new surroundings.But as David Cameron posed on the steps outside with Kevin Spacey, Larry made a bid for freedom.

In between his frequent naps, the cat dines out not on taxpayer-funded meals - but dishes paid for by the Prime Minister's own staff.With George Osborne clamping down on public spending, there is no room for a pet paid for by the public in No 10.

He arrived on February 15 - just days after a spokesman said on January 24 that there were 'no plans' for a cat to move in.

Arrival: Larry is carried in to No 10 for the first time earlier this month

The four-year-old tabby has apparently shown no interest in going after the rodents in Downing Street

Dave the rottweiler has helped bring up four ducks, three geese, five rabbits, 13 kittens and five puppies - plus countless new-born chicks

You probably wouldn’t pick a ten-stone rottweiler to nursemaid orphaned bunnies and birds. But even kittens are in no danger from Dave the Dog. All he wants to do is look after them.

Owner Amanda Collins discovered her six-year-old pet’s maternal nature when she brought home an unwanted French giant rabbit.

‘Dave just walked over to him and started licking him to clean him,’ said the 25-year-old, who runs a pet shop in Blackpool.

‘They bonded straight away. Now they sleep together, and I’ve even seen them sharing each other’s food.’

Miss Collins, who has looked after a menagerie of abandoned animals, soon found this wasn’t a one-off.

'When I brought home the ducklings, I thought he might not be the same as with the rabbits, but he just went over to them and licked them on the head,' she said..

'I filled a paddling pool with water so they could learn to swim in it, and Dave went and laid down in the water so they could clamber over him. He even lifted them out if they got into trouble.'

So far, Dave has helped bring up four ducks, three geese, five rabbits, 13 kittens and five puppies - not to mention countless new-born chicks.

Dave had a traumatic upbringing – his first owner docked his tail with a cleaver – but has remained amazingly good-natured and has now been voted Britain’s most inspirational dog in a contest sponsored by worming specialists Drontal.

The online contest attracted over 6,000 entries and 265,515 votes were cast.

And six-year-old Dave's owner hopes his success will help improve the breed's image.

'People see him coming and cross the road to the other side - it's so sad,' said Miss Collins.

'Most rottweilers aren't big vicious things - they can be very gentle and obedient if they're looked after and trained properly, and Dave is the perfect example of that.'

Sniffer dog Jake, a four year old labrador helped make the discovery at the Calais port

Illegal immigrants tried to smuggle themselves into the country by hiding in the body shells of £275,000 Rolls Royces, it was revealed today.

The nine men were discovered by a sniffer dog at Calais Port, France, in a German lorry heading for the luxury car maker in Goodwood, West Sussex.

The stowaways, from the African country of Eritrea, were handed to the French border police and the lorry was allowed to continue on its way.

Rolls Royce Motor Cars today confirmed the lorries usually carry four car body shells and they would have been for either their Rolls Royce Ghost or Phantom.

The Ghost costs around £200,000 and the Phantom £275,000. Stephen Fabman-Beker, from the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club, said: 'The immigrants have certainly got good taste. It does make you wonder how they got in.

Caught: Two illegal immigrants cover their faces after being caught trying to smuggle themselves into the country in the shells of luxury Rolls Royce cars

'The only thing the Germans make is the shell, the skeleton. There's no interior or panels. I very much hope they haven't been messing about and damaged anything.'

The aluminium shells are supplied to Rolls Royce technicians from German BMW factories because the car giant owns the famous British brand.

Andrew Ball, from Rolls Royce, said: 'A group of people were found in a truck from one of our suppliers and it was heading for our Goodwood factory.

'They were not complete vehicles but body shells for either our Phantom or Ghost models. The French authorities dealt with the matter and I do not believe there was any damage.'

One of the nine stowaways covers his head and face while he hides inside one of the cars. The German lorry was transporting the luxury vehicles to the car makers in Goodwood, West Sussex

The German driver and haulage company each face a potential fine of up to £2,000 per stowaway if they are unable to prove they took steps to secure the vehicle properly.

The immigrants were found at 7.20am on February 15, but the details have only just been released. The sniffer dog was a four-year-old Labrador cross collie called Jake.

Jimmy the cat stars in a YouTube video in which a woman with a British accent asks him to give her the thumbs up

Jimmy the cat has an amazing party trick.

In a YouTube video a woman's voice can be heard saying: 'Hi Jimmy. Can you give me a thumbs-up, Jimmy?'

And then the woman and a man are heard laughing as Jimmy obliges and sticks his 'thumb' up.

The description attached to the video says: 'Jimmy is a polydactyl cat. He's probably the laziest cat in the world but he's also super clever and has thumbs. And he's got a great party trick :-)'

Jimmy has polydactyly, which means he has extra digits, a physical anomaly that's sometimes caused by a genetic defect.

Polydactyl cats are fairly common in some parts of New England in the U.S. and they are sometimes called Hemingway cats, because the writer Ernest Hemingway grew to love them after being given a six-toed cat.

The Guinness World Record holder for the cat with the most digits is Jake, a cat from Ontario, Canada, which has 27 digits. The unofficial record goes to Bandit, a 29-toed cat from Hoboken, U.S. Bandit is owned by Beth Stuart, who is in the process of applying for recognition.

Veterinary technician Jessica Sosa and veterinary technician Peter Flowers perform an examination on Soy, an 18-year-old Sumatran tiger, during a routine checkup at the Smithsonian Institute's National Zoo in Washington, DC, February 24, 2011. The tiger receives a physical exam, complete with dental cleaning, x-rays, ultrasounds and blood work, every one to three years.

Veterinarians look at the paws as they perform an examination on Soy, an 18-year-old Sumatran tiger, during a routine checkup at the Smithsonian Institute's National Zoo in Washington, DC, February 24, 2011. The tiger receives a physical exam, complete with dental cleaning, x-rays, ultrasounds and blood work, every one to three years.

Veterinarians look at the mouth and teeth as they perform an examination on Soy, an 18-year-old Sumatran tiger, during a routine checkup at the Smithsonian Institute's National Zoo in Washington, DC, February 24, 2011. The tiger receives a physical exam, complete with dental cleaning, x-rays, ultrasounds and blood work, every one to three years.

Veterinary technician Jessica Sosa puts drops in the eyes as she performs an examination on Soy, an 18-year-old Sumatran tiger, during a routine checkup at the Smithsonian Institute's National Zoo in Washington, DC, February 24, 2011. The tiger receives a physical exam, complete with dental cleaning, x-rays, ultrasounds and blood work, every one to three years.

Veterinary technician Peter Flowers (R) draws blood as they perform an examination on Soy, an 18-year-old Sumatran tiger, during a routine checkup at the Smithsonian Institute's National Zoo in Washington, DC, February 24, 2011. The tiger receives a physical exam, complete with dental cleaning, x-rays, ultrasounds and blood work, every one to three years.

An ultrasound monitor shows the abdomen as veterinarians perform an examination on Soy, an 18-year-old Sumatran tiger, during a routine checkup at the Smithsonian Institute's National Zoo in Washington, DC, February 24, 2011. The tiger receives a physical exam, complete with dental cleaning, x-rays, ultrasounds and blood work, every one to three years.

Distinctive: Scientists have unlocked a gene that determines patterns of colour on the coats of mice - and believe it plays a role in the formation of leopard markings

Kipling would have us believe that the leopard got its spots to hide in the ‘stripy, speckly, patchy-blatchy shadows’ of the African forest.

But the reality behind the big cat’s distinctive coat is much more prosaic.

Scientists have identified a gene that determines the patterns of colour on the coats of mice.

While the research is still preliminary, they believe that the stretch of DNA may also play a role in the formation of the markings of other animals – including the leopard’s spots.

Researchers already knew that the gene, called Agouti, affects how deeply adult fur is shaded.

But the latest research also implicates it in the formation of patterns.

The finding, from a team at Harvard University in the US, comes from a study of deer mice, which like many creatures, has a lighter-coloured belly than back.

The researchers showed that small changes in how active the Agouti gene is in the womb affects the distribution of pigment on the animal’s body in later life.

Study: The scientists found the Agouti gene when they examined the difference in colour between the belly and back of deer mice

In the case of the deer mice, the gene is highly active in the unborn rodent’s belly, where it delays the maturation of the cells that will eventually produce pigments.

‘This leads to a lighter-coloured belly in adults, which is the most common colour pattern across a wide variety of vertebrates, from fish to antelope,’ said researcher Hopi Hoekstra.

The study’s lead author, Marie Manceau, said: ‘The question of how colour patterns are established in vertebrates has been a black box.

‘Taking advantage of the simple colour pattern of deer mice we showed that small changes in the activity of a single pigmentation gene in embryos generate big differences in adult colour pattern.’

Next up: The scientists who conducted the research now hope to study other animals, including how zebras got their stripes

The researchers, who detailed their findings in the journal Science now plan to dissect the mechanics of more complex colour patterns, starting with striped mice and squirrels the ‘racing stripes’ of chipmunks.

The leopard’s spots and the zebra’s stripes are also within their sights.

They said: ‘It is hard not to speculate that Agouti plays a role in generating more complex patterns, from stripes to spots, in a diversity of vertebrates.’

Treasure: The cheeky squirrel has a look round the cage to get to its prize

This is supposed to be a 'squirrel proof' bird feeder, but it didn't out-smart one particularly crafty critter when he turned up in a British garden.

The feeder had flummoxed his friends but this clever creature was determined not to be beaten.

After some careful negotiation of the extraordinary-looking feeder in front of him, the squirrel cracked it by squeezing his fat body through the protective wiring.

His incredible feat was captured on camera by Sandra Carter in her garden in Gosport, Hampshire, who snapped away as he rewarded himself with the bird nuts inside.

The 57-year-old support worker said the grey squirrel had become a regular visitor in recent months.

She and her husband, Richard, 63, invested in the £19.95 Gardman 'squirrel proof' feeders after watching the greedy animal devour the nuts from all their other feeders.

They hoped the space-age looking design, which protects the bird nuts with a wire globe, would be a strong enough deterrent.

But they were stunned when they peered out of the window one day and saw the squirrel had worked his way around it.

Greedy: The cage's manufacturers say the squirrel will soon be too fat to fit between the bars

Ms Carter said: 'This particular squirrel is very greedy and very clever.'He comes into the garden a dozen times a day to eat from the bird feeders.

'The poor birds hardly get a look in - they just sit in the surrounding trees waiting for him to finish.

'We've tried so many things to stop him - we tried making our own 'squirrel proof' feeders but he always work them out.

'Once we tried hanging bird feeders on wires out of his reach but he managed to get to them by tight-rope walking.

'When we saw a "squirrel proof" feeder on sale we thought it was the answer to all our problems.

Squeeze: The squirrel manages to get its head and body through one of the wider holes in the middle of the cage

'We bought one first to test it and, initially, it seemed to work so we bought another one.

'But I peered out of the window one day and was stunned to see he was inside one of the feeders, eating all the nuts.

'And it wasn't long before he figured out the other one, which contained seeds.'We thought it would be a little harder for him to feed from because it has a plastic covering.

'But he simply shakes it from side to side until the food comes out of the holes.

'My husband has since tried to put more wire on the outside of both feeders to make the holes smaller but it hasn't worked.' When Ms Carter wrote to Gardman to inform them of what had happened she was refunded the cost of both feeders.

Victory! It manages to squeeze its whole body into the cage to get its reward

She said: 'I wrote to them and said it was perhaps time to go back to the drawing board with the design and they gave me my money back.

'My husband and I have now given up trying to outwit the squirrel.

'It is very frustrating but you can't deny he's a clever little animal and I admire his tenacity.'

Jane Lawler, marketing director at Gardman, said: 'Our squirrel proof feeder is designed to keep squirrels out but to let as many birds as possible into the feeder.

'Very occasionally, some skinnier squirrels squeeze through and with all the extra food this one is eating, it won't fit through the bars for long.'

The right stuff: Ham is bolted into his capsule on top of the rocket that will blast him over 150 miles into space

He may sound like a comic book character from the age of Dan Dare, but Ham the astro-chimp had a serious purpose.

One of a squadron of 40 chimpanzees specially trained by the U.S. to make a monkey out of the Soviet Union’s attempt to win the space race, Ham made history 50 years ago as the first chimp to be launched into space.

With the Russians inching ever closer to the Holy Grail of sending a human into orbit, the Americans decided to use a three-year-old chimp — in the style of a gas-detecting canary in a mine — to find out whether humans would be able to survive in space.

The Soviet Union had previously sent dogs into space, but the U.S. chose chimps because of their similarities to humans.

Originally from Cameroon in Africa, and once the star attraction at a Florida zoo, Ham was purchased by the United States Air Force to boldly go where only fruit flies, rhesus monkeys and a dog called Laika had gone before.

Laika was a Russian hound who became the first animal to orbit the earth in November 1957 aboard the Sputnik 2 satellite. She survived for seven days before her oxygen ran out.

The difference with Ham — whose name was taken from the initials of the Holloman Aerospace Medical Center in New Mexico, where he was housed — was that he would not only go up into space, but also come down again safely.

Laid back: Ham appeared just as relaxed while preparing for take-off (left) as he did having come back down to earth

He and his fellow chimps were prepared for the flight for two-and-a-half years, and taught to complete simple tasks in response to lights and sounds. Pushing a lever within five seconds of seeing a flashing blue light earned him a banana pellet; failure gave him a mild electric shock to the soles of his feet.

Teams of white-coated scientists put the apes to the test on machines that measured the stresses they could cope with in terms of gravity, velocity and heat. They were even fed the diet of banana capsules that would sustain them in space.

On January 31, 1961, Ham was launched on Mission MR-2 — but almost immediately there was a hitch. The flight path was a degree higher than it should have been, meaning the craft reached an altitude of 157 miles above the earth — higher than the planned target of 115, and oxygen levels began to drop.

For six minutes of the flight, Ham was weightless as the capsule sped across the sky at around 5,000mph.

It splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean 16 minutes and 39 seconds later, and when rescuers reached it, Ham gratefully accepted an apple and half an orange.

He was unharmed by his adventure, and went to live at the National Zoo in Washington for 17 years. He died at North Carolina Zoo at the age of 25.

The space race didn’t end with his flight, though. Although the Americans could claim they had put a primate into space, the Russians argued that the flight was only sub-orbital — in other words, it hadn’t gone right round the world.

On April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin entered the history books when he became the first man in space aboard Vostok 1.

The Americans followed a month later on May 5 when Alan B. Shepard became their first astronaut. By then, Ham already had his feet up.

Squinting possum: Heidi's pronounced squint doesn't prevent her from leading a full life...and she has hidden talents

A cross-eyed possum in Germany is predicting this years Oscar winners.

Following in the footsteps of Paul the octopus, who predicted the World Cup results, Heidi the possum is giving her tips for the Academy Awards.

Heidi the cute marsupial gives her tips for the Academy Awards by sniffing and touching the fake Oscar statuettes, complete with squinty eyed actors pinned to each one

Each day the cute marsupial is being released in a pen, where she comes face to face with a row of fake Oscar statuettes.

Whichever statue she touches with her paw first signifies the winner in that category.

On Tuesday night, Heidi picked Black Swan star Natalie Portman to take home the Best Actress award.

The possum made Portman her chosen one after sniffing around the trophies and walking in and out of her box.

Out of the box: Here she comes for her daily walk around her pen, ready to choose the next Academy Award winner

The hilarious footage was broadcast on Jimmy Kimmel's US chat show.

A picture of each actress was taped to each statuette - complete with cross eyes to make Heidi feel at home.

Heidi, who is believed to be two-and-a-half-years-old, was abandoned outside an animal shelter in North Carolina in the United States with her sister Naira, and has been living at Leipzig Zoo in Germany since May last year.

Which one will win? Heidi's on the prowl, inspecting all the statuettes put out for her yesterday

The zoo thinks her eye condition could have been caused by her diet before she was abandoned, or because she is overweight, leading to fat deposits behind her eyes.

Heidi, who will be picking Oscar winners on Kimmel's show all week, already has thousands of followers on her Facebook page.

Her popularity is reminiscent of Knut the polar bear, who became a global star in 2007 and even featured on the front of Vanity Fair magazine.

She has also been compared to Paul the octopus, who achieved fame when he correctly predicted the outcome of matches in last year's football World Cup. Paul died from natural causes in October.

Keeping up with mum: The baby cheetahs try to follow their mother up the acacia tree

And she has every reason to be watchful. While the cheetah is the fastest mammal on the planet, the initial months of the average cub's existence are fraught with danger. The animal relies on its speed for survival as well as sustenance - and the first few weeks of life, when cubs lack the power that will make them lethal predators once they reach adulthood, are extremely difficult.

Around 90 per cent of cheetahs are killed during this time, their size and diminutive stature leaving them vulnerable to attack from larger African predators, including lions, hyenas and leopards.

Still covered in their baby fluff and balancing on legs that seem too long for their bodies, these young cubs look to be a long way from joining the ranks of adult cheetahs.

But that doesn't stop them wanting to be just like mum.

Spotted outside the Kicheche Camp in Kenya's Masai Mara, the six balls of fledgling fur attempt to follow their mother up an acacia tree as she looks out over the plains.

Long way up: The more timid cubs attempt to join their siblings at the top of the tree

The species is deemed to be endangered. Estimates suggest some 12,500 cheetahs are alive in the wild, spread across 25 African countries. Namibia has the densest population - the southern African state is believed to be home to around 2500 of the cats.

Still, this sibling sextet does not seem to be doing too badly, as these exclusive photos show - even if the feline art of climbing a tree seems to come easier to some than it does to others.

The view's great from up here: Once balanced in among the branches, the young cheetahs look quite at home

While one youngster makes it halfway up the trunk, finds a crook in a branch - and refuses to give up his hard-won spot - another cuts his losses and springs back to the ground.

Meanwhile, what appears to be the smallest club waits contentedly below the tree, showing no concern about trying to keep up with his adventurous siblings, preferring the view from ground level.

Leap of faith: Lower down the tree, the other cubs are struggling to cling on

Another, meanwhile, makes it all the way to the top of the tree, finding the position furthest removed from potential threat - but also risks the wrath of mum by placing himself right under her feet as she continues her lonely sentry role.

Although the cubs look ungainly here, cheetahs are among the most agile creatures on earth, able to reach speeds of up to 75 miles per hour - faster than the UK speed limit, and any other land animal.

In peak condition, they can accelerate from a standing start to 60 miles per hour in three seconds.

That's enough of that: One of the cubs bails out

They are also among the most elusive of the wild big cats - and can be particularly tricky to spot when they are protecting their young. Moreover, they are rarely seen climbing trees.

But lucky guests at the luxury tented Kicheche Camp, on the borders of the Masai Mara Reserve, were treated to this rare display earlier this month, as the cubs took advantage of their mum's rare foray into the branches to have a go at scampering up and down the acacia themselves.

Trunk call: One of the cheetah cubs finds a lofty viewpoint, and digs in

"Cheetahs seldom climb trees, leaving clambering to leopards with their sharper claws," explains Kicheche's Paul Goldstein, who took the images.

"But for youngsters of three months, acacia trees are leisure centres, and these six lost little time in frolicking up and down its trunk.

We preferred it up there, mum: The cubs return to solid ground - but seem to prefer the safety of the branches

"But the mother has a worrying time ahead of her. Bringing up a brood of cheetah cubs is one of the toughest tasks on the plains. And seldom successful."

For more information on Kicheche Mara Camp, see www.kicheche.com.

Safari Consultants (01787 888 590, www.safari-consultants.co.uk) offers seven nights at Kicheche Mara Camp from £2,560 per adult and £1,490 per child (based on two adults and one or two children aged 12 or under sharing a tent - including flights, transfers, all meals, game viewing and park fees.

Baby Rothschild giraffe 'Magoma' stands in front of her mother 'Koobi' in their enclosure at Cologne's zoo February 22, 2011. The male baby giraffe was born on February 8, 2011, weighs about 80 kilograms and is 1.8 metre tall.

Baby Rothschild giraffe 'Magoma' drinks from her mother 'Koobi' in their enclosure at Cologne's zoo February 22, 2011. The male baby giraffe was born on February 8, 2011.

Rothschild giraffe 'Koobi' sniffs at her baby 'Magoma' in their enclosure at Cologne's zoo February 22, 2011. The male baby giraffe was born on February 8, 2011, weighs about 80 kilograms and is 1.8 metre tall.

Baby Rothschild giraffe 'Magoma' stands next to her mother 'Koobi' in their enclosure at Cologne's zoo February 22, 2011. The male baby giraffe was born on February 8, 2011.